United Academy, as mentioned before, operates a point system.
You can earn points through practice, exams, and attitude, which can grant various benefits.
The more points you accumulate, the more benefits you can receive, and it’s closely related to ‘honor’ as well.
The rewards are fairly generous, but they didn’t matter much to me, so I didn’t really pay attention.
The only material benefit I have is that I’ve already made a fortune from stocks.
But since it’s a point system, there are also demerits, so I couldn’t score that high.
If I were aiming for high scores, I would have been more careful. After all, I have quite the history of breaking various items.
“I don’t even know who got first place this semester.”
Kara didn’t pay much attention to points, and thanks to a certain infamous troll, she bombed the final exam.
So it was likely that Luna or Grace, who performed well, were close to first place. Having lots of points could secure various conveniences.
“Here’s the list of demerits you both received. Please take a look.”
“Is this even possible? And for someone else’s actions?”
“Sivar was supposedly going to be my bodyguard, and it turned out okay. As for Luna, well… I may have exerted some influence.”
Grace placed a sheet of paper on the table. It seems she leveraged her connections.
I looked at Grace and checked the paper she handed over. I was quite curious since it was a list of demerits.
[Property Damage -5]
[Property Damage -5]
[Property Damage -5]
[Property Damage -5]
[Property Damage -5]
[Dangerous Behavior -10]
[Assault on Professor -10]
Wow. What a beautifully awful list of demerits.
Most were for property damage, and I had a pretty good idea about the dangerous behavior and assault on the professor.
The dangerous behavior referred to the self-destructing terror during midterms, and the professor assault was probably Delphoi.
Assaulting a professor could warrant a deduction of 30 points, but it seems they reduced it due to the circumstances.
[Rule Violation: Dormitory -20]
At the very end, there was that line. I tilted my head in confusion.
A rule violation concerning the dormitory. This was quite vague, and I thought they usually didn’t impose demerits unless it was serious.
Moreover, I had previously cohabited with Rize, so much so that even the Academy regarded it as acceptable.
But rule violation? I couldn’t comprehend what this was supposed to mean.
“…Huh? Rule violation? Related to the dormitory? A demerit of 20 points? What the heck is this?”
Luna couldn’t hide her astonishment. It seemed it was written on her demerit list too.
A demerit of 20, and Luna never usually did anything to earn demerits. No wonder she was flabbergasted.
“I asked earlier if you had ever slept in the same dormitory as Sivar.”
“Yeah. But it was fine while I was training under the Saint.”
“The problem lies after that. After the Saint left, right after the freshmen banquet, someone reported it. You two are aware of how strict the dormitory rules are, right?”
Yeah, we know. The dormitory rules at United Academy are infamous for their strictness.
First, just visiting someone else’s dormitory requires annoying procedures, and it gets even more complicated if it’s of the opposite sex.
If you want to call someone over, it’s typical to ask the security guard separately. Entering is strictly forbidden.
Why these strict rules? It’s simple. They became strict after a series of incidents when they loosened the restrictions.
“I heard there weren’t any rules like this in the past. But with such awful incidents happening, they became stricter.”
“Awful incidents?”
“Prostitution and sexual assault were the basics, and some people even set up underground gambling rings in their dorms. Even same-sex encounters had issues; you wouldn’t believe the things that happened.”
“Oh…”
Luna could only express amazement. Honestly, the events were truly jaw-dropping.
When you’re at an age full of fire, and with status and social standings at play, all sorts of things can happen.
Just look at Delphoi, who famously tried to assault Grace.
It’s reasonable to wonder if humans are capable of such actions, but originally, humans are beasts. They are called human only because they suppress their animal instincts with reason.
In fact, because they can think rationally, they often commit acts worse than beasts. It’s an unavoidable trait of being human.
“So, a bit worried, but someone reported it for this reason. Luna slept in Sivar’s dorm. And she was even wearing his clothes. Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah.”
“Phew. Can you explain exactly what happened? Because I don’t think Luna spent the night with Sivar.”
“Well, we did spend the night together.”
Luna tilted her head in confusion at my admission. The look on Grace’s face was quite amusing.
It wasn’t that Luna’s words were the issue; she just lacked some basic understanding of euphemisms.
To her, “spending the night” was taken literally, probably due to being from the countryside and not having any interest in such things.
In a world with the advancement of civilization and the internet, it’s fine, but not here. Without the exchange of information, things end as they are.
Grace seemed to realize this, her stiff face relaxed. Then she sighed and explained.
“…What I meant by ‘spending the night’ isn’t that. I should clarify it as having shared romantic experiences. You know what I mean?”
“Oh… so it was that? Then no, it was just sleeping literally.”
“Then can you explain why you slept there?”
“Um…”
Luna seemed to hesitate. It appeared to dawn on her what happened.
The time when I was so drunk that I barfed out a rainbow-colored fountain. Saying that out loud must feel a little awkward.
“I threw up.”
“Eh?”
So I spoke up instead. I needed to cut her off before she unleashed chaos.
“S-Sivar?!”
“Very refreshing.”
“Oh…”
Luna was flustered at my bland confession, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I added to it.
When Luna blushed and lowered her head, Grace pressed for further explanation.
I recounted everything that happened after the freshmen banquet, just as she requested. Grace’s expressions shifted drastically throughout.
Relief that we really didn’t spend the night together, laughter at Luna’s rainbow fountain incident, and finally, rage over the demerits.
“So, it seems the problem lies with the person who reported it without confirming the details. No matter how strict the dormitory rules are, they wouldn’t impose a demerit for this.”
“What will you do now?”
“What to do? We have to find the culprit. Given that a demerit was imposed without clear evidence, it’s definitely a child from a well-off family.”
Well, Luna did sneak out of the dormitory. If she hadn’t been caught, there wouldn’t have been any demerits.
This narrowed down the suspects significantly. It had to be someone who knows us well and is likely a noble.
Especially the probability of them being in the same class is highest, as students in this place compete within their class and ignore others.
“Did you two have any conflicts with your classmates?”
“I don’t really remember anything…”
“I have no idea either…”
Things that could’ve caused resentment…I wouldn’t say it’s that, but I’ve caused so much behavior that I just don’t know.
The classmates have a strong feeling of excluding me. It’s like they figured I’m just a gorilla with outrageous strength, so let’s ignore him.
Since I wasn’t really interested in grades and was just trying to adapt to society, the atmosphere was, “Let’s just let it go.”
They view me as more of a ‘strategic weapon’ rather than a competitor, just like during finals.
“Too many.”
“Too many, you say?”
“I messed up all the exams.”
“Oh.”
So naturally, everyone must dislike me. A gorilla running amok and ruining all the exams.
During midterms, I pulled off things like torture, self-destructing terror, meteor showers, and other antics that seemed straight out of a dream.
And for the final exams, I single-handedly toppled a whole castle. Of course, that was due to the ones who were sprawled out at the time.
There’s just too many to pinpoint a specific one. It’s no surprise if many dislike me.
‘Did they say something about a barbarian and a wildling hanging out with Kara?’
I’m not sure, but I think I’ve heard something like that. Of course, I don’t care at all.
After all, those people’s chatter doesn’t help me in the slightest.
It feels like a fly buzzing around my ear, making annoying noise.
“Alright, I get it. You can come to the administration office with me later. I’ll help you explain the situation well.”
“Can we find out who reported it?”
“That might be difficult. There are concerns of retaliation.”
In the end, it seems like we have to investigate ourselves. First, we need to eliminate those demerits.
After chatting a bit more with Grace, we all headed to the administration office. It felt like ages since I last visited.
I remember when I first arrived at the Academy, Malboro was on duty as a guard.
“Hmm? Familiar faces have come today?”
This time it wasn’t Malboro but Godin who was on duty.
As always, Godin was grinning with that half-squinting expression. I heard he’s making progress in his research thanks to Jane lately.
Since Jane has been learning various knowledge from Godin, they’re in a mutually beneficial relationship.
“Professor Godin, as I said earlier, we’re here to explain the situation.”
“Yes. Let’s hear it. Just remember, I’m merely the messenger here; the ultimate authority lies with the committee. Keep that in mind.”
“Understood. What happened was…”
Grace thoroughly explained what transpired between Luna and me to avoid any potential traps.
I listened calmly while Luna turned her head sideways, apparently too shy to face me.
But Godin was listening intently. Once the explanation concluded, he finally spoke.
“I see. Understood. I’ll contact the committee right away, so please wait a moment.”
“When will the results come out?”
“The committee will give a result, but…it should be fine. Especially since Grace has a compelling justification, it should go in your favor.”
“Thank you.”
Clearly, Grace had strong grounds. Plus, she’s got backing that can’t be ignored.
Luckily, it seems like the demerits are going to be resolved one way or another. That leaves the contract.
“Then before we proceed with the contract, Luna?”
After exiting the administration office, Grace asked with a noticeably brightened expression.
Feeling embarrassed by all her previous blunders, Luna quietly replied.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“Can I take Sivar with me for the day?”
“Why ask me…you should really ask Sivar.”
“Oh, right. Sivar.”
Then Grace looked directly at me. I met her gaze.
Those sharp purple eyes, but they seemed to be trembling just a bit.
I silently waited until Grace opened her mouth. Whatever request she had, I’d be inclined to accept.
“Can I sleep with you for just today?”
“…?”
Does this girl also think with chaos in her mouth?